Smashing Pumpkins drummer Jimmy Chamberlin has addressed his departure from the band in a post on his new blog... though it's nearly as cryptic as his old mate Billy Corgan's writings.
Here is the post in its entirety:
March 24, 2009 at 07:54 - Posted by jccBy now you have heard the news of my departure from the Smashing Pumpkins. I will say, without going into any unnecessary details that this represents a positive move forward for me. I can no longer commit all of my energy into something that I don't fully possess. I won't pretend I'm into something I'm not. I won't do it to myself, you the fan, or my former partner. I can't just, "Cash the check" so to speak. Music is my life. It is sacred. It deserves the highest commitment at every level and the Pumpkins are certainly no different. I'm sorry but it really IS that simple. There is no drama, bad blood, or anything else but a full commitment to music. My best goes out to Billy and I'm glad he has chosen to continue under the name. It is his right. I will continue to make music with the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex as well as pursuing other musical interests. I feel that I have a long way to go and a lot to give. Thanks to everyone for your kind words and support through all of this. I am constantly humbled by all of you! It is an honor and a privilege to play music for a living and I don't take it for granted not even for a second.
Stay tuned....... JC
Meanwhile, Mr. Corgan has begun to Twitter, though he hasn't tweeted anything of interest yet. This should be fun.
Actually, the Twitter is no fun at all ... it appears to be nothing more than a place where the people who run his website issue boring propaganda about sp.com updates.
Too bad Billy couldn't see it's potential as a means to connect with his fans in a more personal and authentic way. We're talking minimal effort here ... would it be all that much trouble to come down from the ivory tower and write a friendly sentence every day or two directly to fans? Other celebrities do this, and their Twitters ARE fun.
While the Jimmy Chamberlain Complex isn't an exceptionally interesting project (Jimmy's a great rock drummer, but he's not nearly as innovative as, say, Glenn Kotche), I am interested to see what he does next, in the same way that I was interested to see what Billy would do after the first Pumpkins breakup. I'd love to see him hook up with somebody like the Gutter Twins or some really talented guitarist like Tom Morello, but I just hope he does something new.
But what I'm struck by is his comment saying, "I can't just, 'Cash the check' so to speak. Music is my life. It is sacred." Despite the nice things he has to say about Billy, I have to wonder what would make him feel like being in the Pumpkins is just another job. It sounds, in fact, very similar to how Billy characterized his time in Zwan -- that it wasn't like a family, that it was just a job, etc. Perhaps Jimmy realized, like most of the rest of us have, that, while the Smashing Pumpkins may always have been Billy, somewhere along the line, the Great Pumpkin lost the plot.